Time changes

The nine-day fasting festival of Navatri concluded this week. Like every year, I tried my best to utilize the time engaging in fasting worship.

I had never thought during my busy life that one day every person, poor or rich, will have to stay home; there would be travel restrictions for everyone; airplanes, cars, trains and all other transport mediums would be treated as dysfunctional, and most crowded tourist destinations would look like haunted places with no presence of human being.

Human beings, throughout thousands of years of history, have fought with each other and indulged themselves in many kinds of conflicts. However, today we need to join hands against Covid-19, commonly known as the coronavirus. We must understand that this horrific virus has the ability to target every human across the world, without any discrimination.

The current situation is also providing ample time to study and review various aspects of world history. We can observe that a lot of strange and unprecedented events, during the coronavirus outbreak, are happening across the globe.

US President Donald Trump, throughout his presidential election campaign 2016, had raised the raised the issue of illegal migrants coming from neighbouring country Mexico. He promised his supporters an expansion of the US-Mexico barrier by constructing a much larger border wall and making Mexico pay for it, once he elected. The wall was named as the Trump Wall in the local media.

However, Mexican President Enrique Pena, keeping the economic conditions and bilateral ties in views, had regretted to bear the expenses. Did anyone imagine then that one day the people of Mexico would try to stop the entry of Americans into Mexico?

According to international media reports, the US has the most on the world with more than 200,000 cases, with over 5,100 deaths. On the other hand, Mexico has comparatively far fewer cases of the coronavirus – just 1,300 to date.

I also read a news story about the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, originally published by Bloomberg. In her story, published on March 3, 2020, Hong Kong based journalist Sheridan Prasso mentioned that CPEC, one of China’s most ambitious projects is becoming a "Corridor to Nowhere".

China, according to the journalist, is scaling back its ambitions, not just in Pakistan but around the world. "The picture is getting even darker as a coronavirus epidemic that originated in central China threatens to cause further delays and cutbacks," the story emphasized. The report emerged at a time when China was struggling to find right response for tackling the Corona outbreak challenge. On the other hand, discrimination and hate crime against Chinese people were on the rise.

However, the ground realities of today are telling entirely a very different story. China has succeeded in the fight against the coronavirus, and is currently extending cooperation to its all-weather friend Pakistan. I am quite confident that Pakistan will become the second country, with the support of China, to control the coronavirus completely. Very soon, Chinese doctors along with medical aid will be travelling, through the CPEC route, towards the US, Europe and other parts to provide support against the coronavirus.

There is a significant role of astrology, also known as Jyotishya, in Hinduism. It is believed that various planets have important influence throughout the life of a human being, and such planetary influences are actually a result of our own deeds. Recently, I also came to know about the predictions of Hindu astrologists regarding the ongoing coronavirus crisis. They are of the view that the current uncertain situation will start becoming better in the middle of the current month; there will be a major breakdown through the end of May whereas complete control over the outbreak will be ensured between the months of September and November.

The coronavirus outbreak also shows that all nations, instead of indulging in blame game and politics of conflict, must struggle collectively to face such a crisis. Today, it is a dire need for human beings to stay at home, spend quality time with family members and pray to God.

The writer is a member of the

National Assembly and patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Hindu Council.

Twitter: @RVankwani